TOKYO, July 6 – The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has released its strategy for sustainable food systems in English and French on its website, with a view to taking part in international rule-making efforts.
The strategy, named MeaDRI, standing for measures for achievement of decarbonization and resilience with innovation, lists ways to reduce the environmental impact from agriculture by setting numerical targets to cut carbon emissions and use of chemical pesticides.
According to the ministry’s Export and International Affairs Bureau, the English and French versions of the strategy focus especially on explaining specific challenges faced by Asia.
The ministry sets a number of goals to be met by 2050, including increasing organic farming to 25 percent of all farmlands and halving risk-weighted use of chemical pesticides. But the European Union aims to achieve similar goals by a much earlier year of 2030.
On the website, the ministry lists characteristics unique to Asia, such as high temperature and humidity in the region leading to higher risks of pests and diseases. Such explanations will help “convey the intentions behind Japan’s targets,” said an official of the ministry’s Environment and Biomass Policy Division.
The ministry hopes to boost efforts to promote its policies worldwide ahead of the United Nations Food Systems Summit slated in September where member states will discuss ways to produce and supply food with reduced environmental load.